COUNSELOR TREATS SURVIVORS AS 'THE WALKING WOUNDED'

DENVER, NOV. 15 -- Most would call them survivors, but one doctor who is counseling the victims of today's Continental Airlines DC9 crash calls them "the walking wounded."

Of the 54 survivors of Flight 1713 to Boise, 24 were bused to Denver General Hospital from the crash site at Stapleton International Airport. Many were suffering from "extreme shock" and "a lot of anxiety," said Dr. Edmund Casper, head of the psychiatric unit at the hospital.

One of the victims, Libby Smoot of Ketchum, Idaho, said she was "petrified."

Smoot, 36, said that just before the crash she "felt the plane tip to the right and then tip to the left before turning over and landing on its roof." She said she thought the plane had left the ground before the crash.

"The stewardess and one of the stewards helped us get out. There were a lot of people screaming and cut. We saw a ball of fire that went right by the other people," Smoot said.

During the incident, Smoot said she thought, "Oh, please, I hope we get out of this. The minute it tipped to the sides, I knew that was it." United Press International reported that she said she and a traveling companion, Tom Denker, were among the first off the plane.

The two left the hospital after being treated for minor cuts. Both lost their shoes and left in stocking feet.

{UPI reported that another survivor left in a taxi, followed by two more who were escorted by hospital security to a private car.}

A group of psychologists, social workers and counselors were providing support to the victims and their families tonight.

"When we intervene, we tell them what to expect," Casper said. "They can expect shock, denial, and then it's going to hit them. They'll have a lot of anxiety, a lot of dreams. Memories of this {crash} will be sparked by like incidents like seeing an airplane."

One young man, who told Casper he was the nephew of the pilot, ran out of the hospital after discussing the incident with the doctor.

Of the 76 passengers and five crew members aboard the plane, 19 are confirmed dead, and eight are unaccounted for or still in the wreckage.

Denver Mayor Federico Penåa said, "There's not a lot one can say other than to give them comfort and support."